The country star and wife Hannah Lee Fowler are currently 'walking on air' as they prepare to welcome baby No. 2.
Sam Hunt is in his fatherhood era. The "Outskirts" singer is opening up about a personal transformation he says he's experienced since welcoming daughter Lucy Louise last year in a new interview.
"There were years there where, you know, maybe I didn't realize how much growing up I had needed to do," Hunt, 38, tells ET Canada. "And having a child forces you to do that. It shifts something in your nervous system. There's a skin that I needed to shed, and I did that when I had my child."
He adds, "It woke me up out of this, I wouldn't say I was sleepwalking, but I had definitely gotten into a routine after years of doing the same thing over and over. I was just at a place in my life where I really needed that, and I'm grateful for it and I feel like I leveled up in a lot of ways. ... I've got a long way to go in general now, but I feel up for the challenge."
Hunt shares Lucy with wife Hannah Lee Fowler, who is currently expecting the couple's second child. The pair has been engaged in an on-again, off-again romance since at least 2008, tying the knot in April 2017.
"We’re just walking on air right now because we’ve got another baby on the way, and, you know, the tour is going great," Hunt gushes. "Just a lot of things in life are all lining up right now."
Amid his North American Outskirts Tour, Hunt has been joined on the road by his wife and daughter. Just recently, Hunt says that his toddler was able to catch a few minutes of his live show.
"She's normally asleep by the time I go on, but Hannah woke her up for a minute last night to come out," he recalls. "Hopefully that was a good experience for her at her age. She seemed to be in awe of the whole thing. I was happy to have them out there."
Seeing himself through Lucy's eyes, he says, has offered a fresh perspective on his own life.
"It's like a mirror in some ways," he muses. "All this self-awareness comes over me and I want to make sure I'm carrying myself in a way that is responsible, and it's like a mirror there. I have so much more perspective on myself. What I'm saying, how I'm saying it, how I'm carrying myself, and that's powerful to see yourself through your child's eyes."
He also happily reports that his little one seems to already share his love of music.
"She likes to sing," he says. "I would get on the piano and play little notes, and she's drawn to music. Of course we all are, but she seems to have an extra little bit of it."
In a 2018 interview with ET, Hunt recognized that he had "some growing to do" before welcoming kids. "I don't know that I'm as responsible as an adult as my parents were," he admitted at the time, while acknowledging that he has "always wanted to have lots of kids."
Earlier this year, ahead of Lucy's first birthday, Hunt offered fans a rare glimpse into his personal life with a series of photos of his family enjoying a day out on the water, taking a ride on the bow of a boat, swimming, fishing and exploring.
Hunt held his baby girl in many of the shots, even helping to hold her hands as she practices walking. In his caption, he wrote: "She is worth far more than rubies," referencing Proverbs 31:10 -- a subtle nod to his wife.
In another snap, he placed his hand gently on Hannah's growing belly.
The couple appears to be in a good place since Fowler called off their divorce last year, which she filed for back in February 2022 citing "irreconcilable differences."
It was revealed in the divorce documents at the time, obtained by ET, that the pair was expecting their first child together. Fowler also accused Hunt of "inappropriate marital conduct" and claimed Hunt was "guilty of adultery."
However, a few months later in May, the two decided to give their marriage a second chance, with a source telling ET, "Sam and Hannah are working on healing their relationship. They're very excited to be welcoming their baby girl together and focused on that. Sam has been putting the work in and making sure that Hannah feels comfortable, safe and trusts him."
"He is acting protective over their relationship," the source added at the time. "He has been careful to make sure that things aren't being misconstrued or that he is putting their relationship in any sort of jeopardy. He's aware of how sensitive the situation is and doesn't want to hurt Hannah."
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